Luo Yunzhi most likely had no talent for cooking.
After all, no normal person would ever think of adding yogurt to tomato and egg soup.
The girl’s mind tended to wander, and cooking was the one activity that absolutely hated sudden bursts of inspiration.
Just like now — she had created something that couldn’t even be identified.
“Was it really that bad?”
Luo Yunzhi looked puzzled.
Although she couldn’t understand the meaning behind Bai Ziyu’s meows, she could clearly sense the black cat’s obvious disgust.
She felt a little unwilling to accept it.
Picking up her own bowl of egg soup, she took several big gulps.
Then she set the bowl down, her entire face expressionless.
“It really does taste terrible.”
The girl said it dryly.
She stared at the bowl of soup for a long time before standing up and decisively pouring the entire thing down the drain.
Luo Yunzhi was very poor, so she usually followed the principle of not wasting food.
However, this bowl of soup made her break that rule without hesitation.
She rubbed her cheeks, feeling an inexplicable urge to cry.
Letting out a sigh, she said, “Looks like I really don’t have any talent for cooking.”
“Meow.”
Indeed.
The black cat yawned.
She didn’t have the slightest intention of comforting the girl.
After taking a few bites of steamed bun and some vegetables, she jumped down from the table.
As for Luo Yunzhi… she was also gnawing on a steamed bun.
Fortunately, the vegetables were just boiled in water.
No matter how bad they tasted, they couldn’t be that bad.
This could probably be considered a small victory.
Congratulations were in order.
Dinner was finished in a hurry.
The girl went to the kitchen to wash the dishes.
The sound of splash splash splash water rang out as it continuously beat against the sides of the sink.
The black cat jumped back onto the sofa, found a comfortable spot, and curled up halfway.
Her eyes lazily stared out into the thick darkness of the night outside.
Life seemed to have returned to normal.
Although it was peaceful, it always felt somewhat boring — just like the unchanging black night beyond the window.
Bai Ziyu lay there.
Completely unenthusiastic.
“Xiao Bai, are you going to sleep again?”
Suddenly, Luo Yunzhi’s voice sounded.
She wiped her hands, drying every last drop of water.
The girl walked over and sat beside the sofa.
She easily scooped the black cat up into her arms and began gently rubbing the top of her head with her fingertips.
The cat’s fur was ruffled into a mess.
This made the black cat meow in dissatisfaction.
It had no effect.
“Xiao Bai, don’t sleep yet~”
Luo Yunzhi chuckled softly.
Bai Ziyu’s tiny resistance only made her feel strangely excited.
The black cat’s fine fur became even messier, puffing up until she looked like a fluffy dandelion ball.
At this moment, she really had turned into a large ball of fur.
“Keep me company and let’s film a video.”
The girl spoke, her voice carrying a slightly sweet, coquettish tone.
Luo Yunzhi took out her phone from her pocket.
Although the phone model was quite old, she still treasured it dearly due to her financial situation.
She unlocked the screen, swiped with her finger, found the previous video, and played it.
The sounds of a girl and a cat immediately filled the living room.
“Radish?”
“Meow!”
“Tissue?”
“Meow!”
Hearing her own voice, the black cat stopped resisting.
She slightly opened her pink eyes and finally meowed softly, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
“Meow.”
Fine.
Regarding Luo Yunzhi’s cooking skills, Bai Ziyu figured she couldn’t hold out much hope for the future.
It would be better to let the girl earn more money and take her out to eat delicious food instead.
The black cat licked her lips.
Come to think of it, she hadn’t had any desserts in a long time.
She needed to work hard to increase the girl’s assets.
After all, most girls liked sweets.
Once she had money, she would definitely buy some.
“Huh? You’re agreeing?”
Even though she couldn’t understand, seeing the black cat’s expression, Luo Yunzhi could more or less guess.
A delighted smile bloomed on her face.
She immediately gathered the props — a radish, tissues, and a ball of yarn.
She didn’t start recording right away, wanting to rehearse a few times first.
The girl first picked up the tissue.
After a slight hesitation, she held it up and said, “This is a tissue.”
She continued, “Xiao Bai, you have to remember this, okay?”
Then she pointed at the tissue.
“Tissue?”
“……”
The black cat ignored her.
“Tissue?”
“……”
The black cat ignored her again.
“Ugh~ Why are you like this~”
Luo Yunzhi felt completely defeated.
She pouted, her cheeks showing a pitiful, aggrieved look.
Although the previous video had gone viral, its content made her look like an idiot.
That was why she wanted to try and salvage her dignity this time.
Like the blogger she had watched at the very beginning, shouldn’t the cat be the one saying “You’re awesome”?
But now it seemed the black cat had no intention of changing her ways.
Luo Yunzhi sighed again.
Her mood dipped slightly.
But she quickly recovered.
She placed the tissue, radish, and ball of yarn on the windowsill.
The black cat, sensing her intention, jumped onto the windowsill by herself.
The phone’s camera started recording.
As soon as filming began, Bai Ziyu placed her paw directly on the radish and looked up at the girl in front of her.
“Radish?”
“Meow!”
Amazing!
“Tissue?”
“Meow!”
Amazing!
“Yarn ball?”
“Meow!”
Amazing!
The video was filmed so smoothly it was ridiculous.
Only after finishing did Luo Yunzhi realize that they hadn’t rehearsed at all, yet the recording had gone as smoothly as flowing water.
After uploading the video, the girl rested her cheek on her hand and looked at the black cat on the windowsill.
She felt like something was off, but she couldn’t figure out what it was for the moment.
“Wait a second, did I…?”
Luo Yunzhi froze.
“I don’t think I taught Xiao Bai what a yarn ball is, right?”
……
“Is Xiao Bai really a stray cat?”
The girl wondered.
It was already very late, but unusually, Luo Yunzhi didn’t feel very sleepy tonight.
The living room was still lit with a warm orange glow.
She lay on the sofa, tilting her head so she could see the black cat sitting lazily on the edge of the windowsill, gazing out into the darkness.
“Xiao Bai is really so smart.”
The girl mumbled to herself.
No matter which angle she looked at it, the cat was clearly much smarter than an ordinary kitten.
Moreover, she even recognized what a yarn ball was…
Did that mean Xiao Bai actually had an owner before?
But if so, why was she stray?
Could she have been abandoned?
Such a cute little black cat.
How could anyone bear to do that?
“Or maybe I’m overthinking it?”
Biting her lip, Luo Yunzhi rolled over and buried herself completely in the soft bedding.
She couldn’t help turning her eyes toward the black cat again.
The cat simply stared into the dark night outside without moving, as if longing for her distant home.
She was probably someone who yearned for freedom.
The girl’s thoughts wandered wildly.
“But I won’t let you go.”
Luo Yunzhi whispered, her voice carrying a trace of apology.
“It’s too dangerous outside, and you’d get hungry so easily.”
“Even like that day — if you got caught in the pouring rain and became completely soaked, you’d definitely catch a cold.
Without medicine, you would die for sure.”
“Just think of me as selfish.”
“I won’t let you leave.”
In reality, however, Bai Ziyu merely twitched her ears.
She hadn’t listened to a single word of Luo Yunzhi’s mumbling.
She yawned, feeling extremely bored and uninterested.
“Meow~”
I really want to play with the phone~